


Protection

by orphan_account



Category: Marvel
Genre: Blood and Injury, Hurt Hulk, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Protective Thor (Marvel), ThorBruce Week 2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-11
Updated: 2019-11-11
Packaged: 2021-01-27 08:25:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21389101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Green muscles ripple as Hulk punches the frost giant square in the back. It loses its balance, only barely managing to stay upright as it turns to face Hulk. With it’s attention drawn elsewhere, it seems to forget to hold onto Thor and he falls to the ground in an unceremonious heap.“Thank you, Hulk.” Hogun waves gratefully on behalf of Thor, who is still wheezing and unable to do it himself. It is then - as Hogun is helping Thor to his feet, one arm over his shoulder and his own arm around Thor's waist - that it happens.“NO!”---ThorBruceWeek 2019 - Day 2: Warmth / Armour
Relationships: Bruce Banner/Thor, Hulk/Thor
Comments: 3
Kudos: 61
Collections: Thorbruce Week 2019





	Protection

**Author's Note:**

> I made this way too long and still didnt get to explain the background info on the setting so:  
I think once Thor had his character arc he would have returned the relics that Odin stole and made peace with a few realms. Obviously he brings Bruce, because they cannot be separated. You'll get the rest.  
‐----  
Written on the tumblr asgardianbrucebanner

The fierce winds of Johtunheim send stray strands of Thor’s hair whipping around his face like the tentacles of the Ablisk, obscuring his vision and stinging his cheeks. He tucks them into his helmet with one hand, while the other hand spins Mjolnir. In his mind he counts down how many enemies are left, trying to parse his odds of winning this fight. 

A frost giant suddenly turns and runs at him from the left but is stopped in its tracks by an unseen assailant. Fast as the lightning that courses through his veins, Thor throws Mjolnir towards it. The blunt force of the hammer does not break either skin nor bone but the blow is enough to disable the leg of the frost giant that it hits, stopping it mid-attack as it falls to one knee. A moment later the rest of its body follows, revealing Hogun standing behind it with a weapon raised. 

“Thanks!” he shouts over the howl of the wind and the roaring of the giants, already spinning around to search for another enemy to engage with.

“This whole ‘diplomacy’ thing is going really well!”

He turns to see Fandral swiping his rapier across the knees of another giant, who had been closing in while Thor was distracted. 

“It did,” Thor insists as he calls Mjolnir back to him, only to fling it once more into the head of a third giant. “The new king accepted the Casket, along with our promise of many more peace offerings to come. These are just a few rogue - oomph -” He grunts, cut off as the giant dives forwards, slipping beneath Mjolnir and swiping Thor off of his feet with an outstretched palm. Before he can recover, the hand closes around him and Thor finds himself lifted off of his feet. 

The grip of the giant’s hand is unyielding, no matter how much Thor struggles and kicks to free himself. There is also an unbearable burning in his shoulder. They’d made sure to wrap themselves up in layers before coming to Johtunheim, but their armour had been light - it was a mission of peace after all - and the sleeve of Thor’s robe had torn during the battle, exposing his shoulder to the giant’s icy touch. Very quickly he realises that he has little chance of winning through brute force, his strength being sapped from him with every passing second. 

So he changes tactics, instead focusing all of his remaining energy into willing Mjolnir back to him. Hopefully it will get him out of the frost giant’s hold before he can be frozen or crushed. Black stars dance in front of his eyes as he struggles to take a breath, ribs screaming as the hand closes tighter and tighter… and for a moment Thor fears that maybe he won’t make it. 

Suddenly, there’s a familiar roar. Their own giant has entered the fight. 

Green muscles ripple as Hulk punches the frost giant square in the back. It loses its balance, only barely managing to stay upright as it turns to face Hulk. With it’s attention drawn elsewhere, it seems to forget to hold onto Thor and he falls to the ground in an unceremonious heap.

“Thank you, Hulk.” Hogun waves gratefully on behalf of Thor, who is still wheezing and unable to do it himself. It is then - as Hogun is helping Thor to his feet, one arm over his shoulder and his own arm around Thor's waist - that it happens. 

“NO!” 

Hulk roars in pain as enchanted spears of ice pierce him, pinning him down, tearing through the flesh, agonisingly slow as they struggle to get through Hulk’s thick skin until, finally, they emerge on the other side. The remaining two giants stand over him, ice crystallizing at their fingertips into sharpened points. The giant that Hulk had knocked down earlier joins them, sneering at him with bared teeth. Reaching out a hand, he grips Hulk by the throat, holding him down in the snow. Even at a distance, Thor can see the colour of Hulk’s skin turning an ashy turquoise as the frost giant’s icy touch bleeds into him. 

Suddenly, the three giants reel back. They clutch their hands to their heads, groaning. 

Mjolnir returns to Thor’s hand. 

Over and over he throws it, still barely able to stand on his own two feet without Hogun. He strikes all three of them with each and every throw he makes, as if he were connecting the dots on a Midgardian puzzle. Mjolnir flies back and forth, back and forth, with an unyielding ferocity. By the time the other three warriors reach them, the giants are on the ground. It only takes one blow from Vorstagg, Sif and Fandral to knock them unconscious. 

With a metallic thunk, Mjolnir returns to Thor’s hand once more. Head spinning, he lets it drop into the snow by his feet as Hogun struggles to stop him from falling sideways. 

“Thor -” 

“I’m alright. Just…” 

The two of them sink to the ground while Sif rushes over. But Thor only has eyes for Hulk, who lies motionless in the snow a few feet away.

“Hulk…” he gasps, weakly and looks up at Sif. “Sif… is he - ?” 

Sif’s mouth is a grim line. “He’s alive. But we need to get you both to a healer.” She turns her head towards where Fandral and Vorstagg are now attempting to lift Hulk onto their backs. “Which isn’t going to be easy. Can’t he turn back into the small man again?” 

Thor shrugs, weakly. When Hulk is injured - which is rare and never to this extent - there’s always a toss up between who will stay in charge to bear the weight of the injury and who will rest. Usually it would be Bruce in control but, with the ice still inside of Hulk, who knows what effect it could have if he tried to change back now? 

“Do what you can.” 

Thor slumps, defeated, too tired to be angry at how utterly helpless he is right now. All he has left is worry. Fear. 

He can’t lose anyone else. 

Sif nods and runs back towards the others. Together the three of them manage to lift Hulk’s upper half off of the ground, although his legs drag behind, leaving a faint trail of blood in the snow. 

Thor and Hogun stumble along behind. Thor doesn’t speak until they reach the rendezvous point, and then it’s only to tell them to wait for him to call Mjolnir, before the bright light of the bifrost consumes them all. 

…

Hulk is cold. 

So cold. 

Not a normal cold. Not like being in the snow. Hulk can stand that. Hulk can stand most things. But this cold burns. Like fire. 

That doesn’t make sense to him. Fire is hot. How can he feel hot and cold at the same time? 

“Hulk?” 

Hulk’s head tilts up a fraction. He blinks but everything is blurry and blank. It might just be the ceiling. He is lying on his back after all. 

“Can you hear me?” 

That’s Thor!

He sounds weak. 

Most creatures are weak. But not Thor. Thor is strong. Not Hulk strong, but strong. Thor shouldn’t sound weak. 

“Thor?” 

Oh. Hulk sounds weak too. 

He doesn’t like it. 

“Oh, thank the Norns.” Hulk feels a small hand on his arm. All hands are small to Hulk, so he guesses it is Thor. He keeps blinking, hoping that Thor will appear.

The hand tucks a thick blanket further up to his chin. Hulk doesn’t stop shivering but it makes the hot-cold feels a little less painful. 

“What… happened?” 

Colours are beginning to separate. He can see red and yellow now. He focuses on the shapes they make. Thor’s cape. Thor’s hair. 

Orange too. There’s a fire crackling nearby. 

“It… was my fault. I am so sorry.” 

There’s Thor’s face. 

Thor is crying. 

Hulk want to reach up to wipe away the tears but his arm just won’t do it. It’s tired. Weak. Hulk makes a noise of distress. He really doesn’t like being weak. 

“Take it easy -” 

“Not your fault,” Hulk interrupts. He can’t wipe the tears away. But he wants them to stop. 

Thor freezes, one arm still outstretched as if to stop Hulk from moving. As if he could. Ha! If Hulk want to move he will move. 

“I couldn’t protect you.” 

Hulk huffs. It hurts but he still smiles, amused. 

“Hulk protects Thor. Thor was… hurt?” He is beginning to remember. Thor had been attacked. Crushed. He tries to reach up again. He wants to feel that Thor is okay. 

Thor sees the concentration on his face and the twitching of his hand and smiles, sadly. Hulk knows that he understands. Thor is smart. Not smart like Banner. No. But smart like Thor. He understands. 

“I’m okay. See?”

Thor takes his hand and guides it to his shoulder It’s wrapped in bandages so Hulk tries to be gentle but Thor doesn’t seem to be in pain. Which isn’t proof that he is not. Thor is good at hiding. Hulk is good at spotting when someone is hiding. But Thor is like Banner. He can hide from Hulk. Sometimes. 

“Hmm,” Hulk rumbles, unconvinced. 

Thor scoffs. “You’re so worried about me but you should see yourself.” Definitely hiding. But Hulk will let it go. “You were bleeding from your shoulder, your arms, your legs -” He sounds agitated again. But stronger. Worry makes him stronger. 

Hulk thinks it is okay if Thor sounds weak for a little longer. Weak means rest. 

“Hulk is fine. Heal fast.” 

“Still… how are you feeling?” 

Hulk thinks about it. Hulk is good at hiding too. But Thor is kind. And Hulk trusts him. 

“Hurt. Cold.” 

“Yes the, uh... frost giant magic may take some time to wear off. They had you in their grip for quite some time.” Thor frowns. Not just a sad frown - a thinking frown. “We were all wrapped up and prepared for that particular side-effect but you… you had nothing. No armour, no protection.”

Hulk wishes that Thor would smile. A _ real _smile. Not the sad smile. Thor has a nice real smile. It’s sparkly and warm. And Hulk feels guilty about making Thor sad. 

With great effort, he forces the hand on Thor’s shoulder to move, pulling it back towards himself and bringing Thor along with it. It only makes it half-way before he becomes too tired to move it any more. 

But Thor understands. Thor is smart. He moves towards Hulk, joining him underneath the blankets. 

“Rest,” Hulk commands, wrapping his arms around him. 

“Yes,” agrees Thor. 

He smiles. A real smile. 

“I think that would be best”

...

“I have something for you.” 

“Oh?” Bruce puts the book that he had been reading down on the bedside table and stands to meet Thor as he enters their room. The blanket from the bed stays firmly wrapped around his shoulders. “What is it?” 

Three days have passed since the ambush in Jotunheim. Once his more serious wounds had healed, Hulk had gone to sleep for a much deserved rest and Bruce had taken his place.

The magical freezing has subsided to merely a magical chill now, but it still prevents him from wearing anything less than three layers at a time, unless he wants to become a shivering ball of misery again. 

Thor crosses the room and pulls him into a hug, which helps reduce his discomfort quite drastically. When he pulls away there’s a smile on his face and a glint in his eyes which can only mean one thing. He’s up to something. 

“It’s a surprise. Come on.” 

They walk with Thor’s arms still wrapped around him, slotted together like two pieces of a puzzle. Bruce marvels at scenery of the Asgardian palace to keep himself busy, trusting Thor to guide him to wherever he wants to go. Ultimately, it is much too grand and golden for Bruce to want to live here indefinitely, but he finds the magically reversed water features and alien fauna decorating the walls fascinating. He’ll have to ask about some of their species of medicinal herbs before he leaves. 

Thor leads him through the gardens and over a bridge into a tower. It mostly consists of a spiraling staircase, with the occasional ornate set of double doors set into every floor. There is no central wall, so looking up allows them a clear view of just how high the tower goes. 

Doing it makes Bruce’s legs feel tired, so he keeps his eyes ahead.

Luckily, the room that Thor leads him to is on the ground floor. There is a helmeted guard waiting just outside of the door, but Thor must have arranged for some privacy because they walk away as soon as they see them approaching. 

“Okay stop here.” 

Bruce obliges, eyebrow raising in question as Thor shuffles behind him and covers his eyes with his hands. 

“If this ends with several people jumping out to scream ‘surprise’ at me, I won’t be held responsible for Hulk destroying your tower.” 

That makes Thor laugh so hard that Bruce can feel it in his chest. “I’m sure Hulk will enjoy what is in here very much. It is a gift for him as much as it is for you.” 

Thor pushes him lightly and Bruce begins to take tentative steps forwards, stretching his arms out in front of him - just incase. Not that he doesn’t trust Thor but the god can get a little overzealous when he’s excited. 

“Aaand... stop.” 

Bruce reacts just a little too slowly this time. When Thor stops dead, the extra step that Bruce takes causes his fingers to slip just a little, allowing him a glimpse of what is in front of him. 

It’s gold - well, of course it’s gold, this is Asgard - and just an inch over his own height, the top of it reaching not too far above his eye level. 

“Are you ready?” Thor asks, oblivious to Bruce’s premature analysis of what the surprise could be. Without waiting for further response, he pulls his hands away and only then is Bruce able to fully understand what it is. 

It’s armour. Beautifully crafted, much like most things here are, with intricate designs carved into the metal. 

“It’s for you.”

“Really?” 

It comes out dry and teasing but inside Bruce feels like he’s been stunned by one of Thor’s lightning bolts. 

“Yes! And it expands too. To about Hulk-size, if you catch my drift.” Thor ushers him closer to it, rambling excitedly. “Don’t ask me how it works. I don’t get into this kind of machinery and magic. But it will keep you both safe from now on... I hope.” 

Bruce presses a hand to the metal helmet and traces a finger over a particular carving in the shape of a fist. Around it there are inlaid patterns of vines and some of the plants that Bruce had been admiring earlier. 

“I don’t know what to say.” 

“Do you... like it?” Thor clasps his hands together, much like Bruce does when he’s nervous. “I know you don’t usually like to participate in battles if you can help it but we seem to get ourselves into them whether we like it or not. So… I thought… well, with what happened the other day…”

Bruce turns and pulls Thor into a hug. No one has ever done anything like this for him before. Hulk is seen as above needing protection and Bruce… well, he is used to looking after himself. 

“Thank you, Thor. Really, this means a lot.” 

Thor nods and cups Bruce’s cheek in his hand, gently lifting his head from where it has buried itself in Thor’s chest to look him in the eye. 

“When Hulk got hurt - because of _ my _oversight - I was so worried. I -” He sighs leans down to rest his forehead on Bruce’s. “I promise, I won’t let anything happen to you again.” 

Bruce huffs, much like Hulk does when someone challenges him or if he thinks someone is being rather stupid. 

“Thor -” He stops himself. He knows that Thor cannot make promises like that. Their lives are too unpredictable, too many ways for things to go wrong. And he knows that it would only increase Thor’s guilt if something were to happen to him again. 

But he likes this moment. This warmth and comfort. So he doesn’t say any of that.

Instead he leans up and presses a kiss into Thor’s hairline. 

“I love you.” 

He pauses for a moment then, tilting his head as if listening. He glances back at the armour. And then he smiles and kisses Thor again, this time a quick peck on the lips before pulling away to wrap the blanket around both of them, keeping Thor close. 

“Hulk says he loves you as well.” 


End file.
